MATE FACTOR- Tropical Lime Yerba Mate

If you have been following along with my blog, you may have learned that I am in a quest to try all the teas that there are out there.  I know that people say the only true teas are BLACK, GREEN, WHITE, and OOLONG- because these are made from the Camelis Samelia Bush. I have tried all of those.  Then there are other "teas" HERBAL, TISANE, ROOIBOS, PU-ERH, YELLOW,  POUCHONG, CHAI, MATCHA, SENCHA, KOMBUCHA, GENMAICHA, BLOOMING, HONEYBUSH, and MATE.  I have tried most of these "teas", but not all.  Today I am trying a real Yerba Mate.  I also have a Yellow, a Matcha, and a Genmaicha that I look forward to trying and blogging about soon....

 

http://www.vitaglo.com/

 

 Mate Factor - Hibiscus Lime Tea 20 bg  $4.06

 

 

The infusion, called mate in Spanish-speaking countries in south Brazil, is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the mate plant in hot water, rather than in boiling water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish) is a common social practice in Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil among people of all ages; the beverage is most popular in Uruguay, where people are seen walking on the street carrying the "mate" and "termo" in their arms and where you can find hot water stations to refill the "termo" while on the road, Paraguay, Peru and Chile, eastern Bolivia and other states of Brazil, and has been cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In Argentina, 11 pounds of yerba mate is consumed each year per every man, woman, and child. While Uruguay is the largest consumer of mate per capita, drinking 22 pounds per person per year. The flavor of brewed mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. Flavored mate is also sold, in which the mate leaves are blended with another herb (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.

 

Yerba mate is very versatile and can be prepared a variety of ways, from a tea infuser or French press to a coffee machine, even an espresso maker.  It can be consumed hot, or cold, and served with  milk and honey or iced with lemon and mint, the combinations are endless.

Wisdom Of The
Ancients -
Bombilla
Strainer Straw $5.84

 If I am going to try this South American tea, I need the South American straw too!

 

Why do people drink Yerba Mate Tea? For the increase in energy they experience without the side-effects they may experience when drinking coffee. Many have also shared that yerba mate acts as an appetite suppressant, clears the mind, relieves allergies, improves sleep patterns and lifts their mood in general. Join the Mate Revolution...

 

 So in effort to drink Mate like the South Americans, I emptied out the Yerba Mate tea bag into the cup.  I added water and drank through the metal straw. 

I like the tea, and I like drinking with the straw. The straw really does sift and keep out the leaves.  It does make a mess in the cup and is frustrating to clean :)  But, the taste is very good.  Next time I may use the tea bag but still drink out of the straw :)

TWININGS Green Jasmine Tea

Here is another great find at the scratch and dent store in Kidron ...box of 20 tea bas was $1.00.  On the website is $2.99.  I love this tea.  I love the JASMINE flavor!!!!  It reminds me of being in being in a citrus garden.  When I was a nanny we went to Camel Back Mountain in Arizona and had citrus trees growing in the back yard, and for some reason this tea takes me back to that place!  I can't believe I never tried this before.  I love love love the taste.  I am keeping my fingers crossed to find Jasmine in loose leaf form!

Green tea is known for its smooth flavor and refreshing taste. Green teas are made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the same leaves as black tea. Green teas go through a process where the leaves are heated to prevent oxidation while black teas are oxidized for additional color and flavor. Twinings' Jasmine Green Tea is layered with freshly picked jasmine flowers, allowing the tea leaves to absorb the delicate fragrance. The result is a mild and refreshing tea with an alluring aroma.

Ingredients: Green Tea Scented with Jasmine Flowers

TWININGS Gunpowder Tea

Gunpowder green tea is a kind of Chinese green tea which is manufactured in a province called Zhejiang in China. It is very easy to identify this kind of tea because the leaves are rolled into small round pellets. The reason why this kind of tea is called ‘gunpowder‘ is because it looks very much similar to black powder grains. An interesting fact here is that the method that is applied to rolling this type of green tea is used in rolling other dried green tea too, like the Oolong tea. The pellet size of the tea determines the quality of the tea. The larger the pellet, the lower its quality and vice-versa. Tightly rolled and shiny pellets are also considered to be of top quality. 

 I was so very excited when I found this Twinings loose leaf tea at the scratch and dent store!!!  It was just $1.00!

 

http://www.twiningsusashop.com/gunpowder-green.html

on line this tin of 100g sells for $4.49

 A rich blend of Green Gunpowder teas from the Orient with a clear fragrance liquor

(see the tight rolls)

The making of Gunpowder green tea is a bit complex in comparison to the manufacturing process of other types of tea. The tea leaves are first plucked and then it goes through several processes like withering, steaming, rolling and finally drying. Earlier, each of the leaves were rolled by hand but today, thanks to the advancement in terms of science and technology, the gunpowder tea leaves are rolled by machines. However, one will still be able to find hand-rolled gunpowder tea leaves in the market. The method of manually rolling the leaves is still followed in case of high quality gunpowder tea.
There is a reason behind the rolling of these leaves, it is for the purpose of enabling the tea leaves to retain its aroma and flavor. Moreover, they are less vulnerable to physical breakage or damage when they are in the form of pellets.

There are many advantages or benefits offered by the Gunpowder green tea. The tea is an astringent (a mild one), which means that it can constrict the tissues or draw them together. Thus, because of this, gunpowder tea is used by people who are experiencing problems pertaining to the digestive tract. Gunpowder tea has the ability to smooth out any kind of digestion problems.
Apart from the above mentioned primary advantage, gunpowder tea is also free of calorie, gluten and fats therefore it can be consumed without any guilt. It reduces the amount of cholesterol in a person’s body and also increases metabolism. Therefore it is right for those people who are reducing weight. Another advantage offered by this tea is that it increases endurance and it is a powerful anti-aging and anti-oxidant agent. One can also consume the tea for the purpose of uplifting oneself and increasing one’s focus and mental awareness.

 

 

see how the leaves "unroll"

I am not sure if I am missing out, but I did not like the tea.  I tried it twice and I just did not like the flavor.  I will try one more time :)  I know some people really like Gunpowder, and I want to like it, but I just thought it was to strong.

 

TEALIGHTFUL Lemon Chiffon Pie (Rooibos)

Okay here is the second tea I tried from my tea open house with Tealightful.  Lemon Chiffon Pie a Rooibos tea.  I really liked it.  It did not have a super strong lemon taste, but I still thought it was very good.

 Look at all that tea- which relates to great flavor!!  So great, and the smell, oh my!!!  I want to eat it!  I had tea in my tea maker cup, so I used my tea ball mesh strainer. It worked just fine.  I used my Teavana tea timer and I was set!  I got two cups out of the tea and I think I will go for a third cup tonight!  I'd be happy to share a cup with you, if you want to try it!

www.tealightfultreasures.com

4 oz of tea is $13.50

Tea Maker- Teavana

GET ONE NOW!!!!  These are on sale at Teavana, normally $19.90, you can get them for $9.95!!  And today 6/26 there is no shipping, this no shipping offer lasts until Sunday.  I got two for gifts.  I love these tea brewers!!!  I have one brewer at home and one at work.  These things rock!!!!!  Great for loose leaf tea and also work with tea bags.

http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/smart-tea-maker

Description

Make 18oz of tea at once with this Smart Tea Maker. Simply add loose leaf tea and water at the appropriate temperature and watch your tea as it steeps. After brewing is complete, place the Smart Tea Maker on top of your favorite cup until all the tea has drained out and enjoy!

TWININGS Ceylon Orange Pekoe Tea

Pure black tea expertly blended with a subtle hint of citrus flavor and aroma of fresh succulent grass on a summer day.

20 count $2.99, it also comes loose. 

 You will see my do an happy dance in the Amish scratch and dent store if I find these Twining's tea in loose.  I am discovering I really like Twining's tea!  I was again able to find a box of 20 for $1.00 at the scratch and dent store in Kidron.   If you want me to look for teas while I am there, just let me know!   I really enjoyed the Orange Pekoe.  I have also learned that Orange Pekoe refers to the grade of the leaf, it DOES NOT have orange in the tea,

ORANGE PEKOE....
Orange pekoe also spelled pecco, or OP is a term used in the Western tea trade to describe a particular genre of black teas (orange pekoe grading). Despite a purported Chinese origin, these grading terms are typically used for teas from Sri Lanka, India and countries other than China; they are not generally known within Chinese-speaking countries. The grading system is based upon the size of processed and dried black tea leaves.
The tea industry uses the term orange pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size; however, it is popular in some regions (such as North America) to use the term as a description of any generic black tea (though it is often described to the consumer as a specific variety of black tea).Within this system, the teas that receive the highest grades are obtained from new flushes (pickings).This includes the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest leaves. Grading is based on the 'size' of the individual leaves and flushes, which is determined by their ability to fall through the screens of special meshes ranging from 8–30 mesh. This also determines the 'wholeness', or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. Although these are not the only factors used to determine quality, the size and wholeness of the leaves will have the greatest influence on the taste, clarity, and brewing time of the tea.
When used outside the context of black-tea grading, the term "pekoe" (or, occasionally, orange pekoe) describes the unopened terminal leaf bud (tips) in tea flushes. As such, the phrases "a bud and a leaf" or "a bud and two leaves" are used to describe the "leafiness" of a flush; they are also used interchangeably with pekoe and a leaf or pekoe and two leaves.
Pekoe tea is a fine grade of tea which includes young tea leaves and buds. The tea once handled and brewed has "a rich forest-like scent with a hint of bitterness and a sweet finish."

From Twinings website:

"Ceylon Tea comes from the country that today is known as Sri Lanka. Twinings Ceylon tea is made using the finest quality high grown teas from the Dimbula region in western Sri Lanka. In the 1870s, Ceylon became a major tea producing area after the coffee crop failed. Its tea is still referred to as "Ceylon" despite the country changing its name to Sri Lanka in 1972 following independence. Ceylon is ideal to drink at any time of day and is great for ice tea too. Drink black, with a little milk and sweeten to taste."

Ingredients: Black Tea

Love my $8.95 tea timer from Teavana!!!   Teavana is owned by Starbucks, and my sister just told me that you can use your Starbucks gift cards here!!  Look on the screen it says that it is keeping time for oolong or black- how sweet is that?

GLORIA JEANS TEAS Assam Organic Tea

 https://www.gloriajeans.com/

A box of 20 pyramid teas are on sale right now for $5.19...I found out why, when I got my teas.  One of the boxes was past the "best by" date.  I contacted the company and they refunded my money with a very nice apology.  I try not to be partial to this tea since it has the same name as my mom "Gloria Jean!"

if you have been following this blog, you know that I love the mesh/pyramid tea bags that most companies seem to be using now!!!  I think you get a lot more flavor out of the tea this way.

ASSAM ORGANIC TEA

Assam Organic is a Black Tea from India. The tea bushes are of original assam seed planted between 1916 thru 1923. This tea is well known for its malty and bright characteristics. 20 Pyramid Tea Bags in a Box. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes

 I tried the tea today with milk and it was very good.  I ended up passing some around the office.  I think it was very tasty!!!

TEALIGHTFUL Summer Berries

www.tealightfultreasures.com

look at at all that fruit!!! (Blueberries, Currants, Elderberries, and Hibiscus)

I received my party Tealightful order, and I can't wait to try some of these teas!!!  I broke into Summer Berries right away.  I love this tea!  It is a bit tart, but I don't mind it at all.  I can pick out the taste of the elderberries and blueberries right away.

I sell this tea, so if you want to buy some, please contact me.  If you want to try it before you buy it that is cool too, I would love to share a cup with you!!!

14 oz is $14.00- this averages about .25 a cup of tea!!!  Now that is a good deal!

the tea has a beautiful purple color.  I got two great cups out of this today.

KASAI green tea

http://eatatkasai.net/

I went to Kasai in Wadsworth Ohio for some sushi, and I had a GREAT cup of green tea there!!!!

CONTEST ......

This weeks Kerrie's Cup Of Tea Facebook winner is Anne Kaufmann.  Anne won 2 tea cups!  Congrats Anne!

https://www.facebook.com/KerriesCupOfTea

Enter this week to win this basket of goodies!!!!  Last day to enter is July 2nd, I will pick the winner July 3rd.

This week I have 72 teas!  70 bag teas, and 2 loose leaf teas, along with a travel mug, and a tea bag buddy.

Just go to Kerrie's Cup of Tea on Facebook, like the post and share the post and you will be entered to win.  I will ship anywhere in the US.  Help me reach my goal of 72 likes :)

Thanks for entering!

TWININGS English Breakfast

http://www.twiningsusashop.com/english-breakfast.html

20 count $2.99

English Breakfast was one of those bagged teas I got at the scratch and dent store for .10 to try.  http://www.experience-ohio-amish-country.com/salvage-stores.html  I liked it so well when I went back this week I bought the box of tea-thankfully they still had it.  The box of 20 count there was only $1.00.  Although you never know what you will find there.  I was excited on this last trip to find loose leaf Green Gunpowder, I have been wanting to try that too!  I really like English breakfast, especially with milk.  Although at the scratch and dent store I bought a couple boxes of liquid soy milk for .75.  I had that today and it was great in the tea too.

From the website:

A rich & satisfying robust black tea. The robust, malty character of this tea comes from pure Assam and Kenyan tea leaves grown in India.

Twinings English Breakfast Tea was originally blended to complement the traditional, hearty English Breakfast, from which its name derives. The refreshing and invigorating flavour makes English Breakfast one of the most popular black teas to drink at any time or occasion, not just for breakfast. English Breakfast can be enjoyed with or without milk, sweetened or unsweetened—the choice is yours.

Ingredients: Black Tea

DID YOU KNOW?  It takes 4–4.5 lbs of fresh leaves to make one pound of finished dried tea

Tea timing is important!!!

Watching the time you steep your tea is UBER important!!!  You can over steep you tea and completely ruin the taste.

I have 3 fun timers.  One for work, one for home, and just one for fun.  I have the tea pot for work.  I have the Teavana timer for home, and the sand dial for fun.

The sand dial is fun- I got it on Amazon, used for under $10.00.  It is fun because the green has 3 minutes of sand in it, the white has 4 minutes of sand, and the brown has 5 minutes of sand in it!  How cool is that?!

http://www.amazon.com/Danesco-1351128-3-5-Inch-Stainless-Minutes/dp/B000660R2E/ref=pd_sbs_op_36

Our Perfect Preset Tea Timer is the answer to delicious tea every time. This multifunctional comtemporary tea timer takes the guesswork out of making perfect tea. It has 4 pre-programmed buttons with the ideal time for the type of tea being brewed, so simply press the button with the same color as your tea and hit the start button. Once the timer expires your tea will be ready! Also allows you to manually set the time for your own brewing requirements. Features a large 1 inch x 2 inch display, the ability to count up or down, a magnetic clip or stand on back and an audible alarm. Batteries included.      $8.95              
http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-accessories/tea-tools/p/teavana-perfect-preset-tea-timer

http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Teapot-Teakettle-Kitchen-Cooking/dp/B008FLEO6M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2

Amazon for .58!!!! That is right, less than $1.00.  It is sooo adorable!

Tea Type	Temp.	Amnt. per 6-8 oz. serving	Steep Time
White	175-185	1 tablespoon	1-3 minutes
China Green	185	1 teaspoon	3 minutes
Japanese Green	180	1 teaspoon	2-3 minutes
Black	206	1 teaspoon	3-5 minutes
Darjeeling	185	1 teaspoon	3 minutes
Oolong Rolled	185-206	1 teaspoon	3-5 minutes
Oolong Long Leaf	185-206	1 tablespoon	3-5 minutes
Botanical Infusions/ Tisane	206	1 tablespoon	5-7 minutes
Raw Pu-erh	195	1 tablespoon	First soak for 30 seconds then flush. 3-5 minutes
Half Baked & Full Baked Puerh	206	1 tablespoon	First soak for 30 seconds then flush. 3-5 minutes